Pipistrello is Spanish for bat

Pipistrello is a bat. Visually, this game looks incredibly similar to a Game Boy Advance (GBA) game. And content-wise, Pipistrello resembles a Legend of Zelda game. This isn't surprising, considering both served as models. The game revolves around Pippit Pipistrello, who owns a yo-yo. He has it because he's a champion yo-yo nerd. It soon becomes apparent that Pippit's aunt is not only very wealthy but also not a very pleasant person. She demands a lot of money for her electricity. So much so that this provokes angry reactions, but without electricity, the world can't turn...

In this 2D top-down game, you're drawn into a battle to retrieve the four high-quality batteries that have been confiscated by your aunt's customers. And, to make matters worse, your aunt is trapped inside your yo-yo. So, time to score those batteries, teach your aunt a lesson, and hopefully, there'll still be enough love left to financially support your yo-yo competitions.

The search for the four batteries will have you navigating the entire city. Fortunately, there are taxi ranks to speed up your journey if you have to go all the way to the other side of town. Throughout the city, you'll find small challenges, such as upgrading your health meter, and some larger ones, where you'll find blueprints and badges that will make your life and your yo-yo even easier. Of course, you can only wear a select number of badges, so you'll have to make choices: upgrade your yo-yo for more power, or go for more hearts? Or perhaps a completely different advantage?

Incidentally, money-hungry runs in the family, because besides badges, you can also get permanent upgrades. You can borrow these upgrades temporarily, for a hefty fee. Furthermore, a negative effect is often applied until you've paid for the upgrade. Think of less powerful attacks, fewer health hearts, slower speed, reducing the chance of enemies dropping something useful to 0, and so on. Once you've paid off the loan, you get to keep the upgrade permanently.

The creator calls this game a Metroidvania, and we understand that, but it's actually even more of a game about timing and memorizing button combinations. If you're good at that, you'll enjoy the upgrades Pippit gets throughout the game. Before you know it, you'll be blasting through this game with the help of your yo-yo: flying, bouncing off, rolling across water, crashing into walls, all with the help of new moves you learn along the way and have to use to progress. Let's be honest. It's great when everything works out and you can get through that incredibly exciting room, but it's frustrating when you still haven't succeeded after fifteen tries. Pipistrello is also about learning to cope with disappointment and building perseverance. The rewards are even greater if you succeed. Those rewards and the feeling you get when things work out are unique. They're what earn this indie game a spot on the list of the best Nintendo Switch games.

Do you enjoy exploring?

In Bayonetta Origins, you'll travel back over 600 years to the time before the first Bayonetta game. While you might expect intense action in Bayonetta, this game is a bit different. Bayonetta hasn't always been the feisty witch with pistols strapped to her boots. Bayonetta is therefore called Cereza in this game; life before Bayonetta. In this game, you control Cereza, but also her demon cat (Cheshire). You'll often go through the adventure as Cereza, but in puzzles and battles, you'll have to control both simultaneously. This takes some getting used to, but once you've mastered it, there are no obstacles. To keep the gameplay diverse, Cheshire has four additional forms (plant, stone, fire, and water powers), and Cereza can't simply use her powers.

A nice feature of this game is that you can adjust the difficulty after you die. In other words, everyone can play this game at their own pace. A striking feature, besides the style, is that virtually all the text is voiced. This contributes enormously to the overall experience.

The game's style is incredibly appealing and reminiscent of a watercolor/children's book. Scenes are created with a brush (reminiscent of another hit, Okami). It's incredibly atmospheric and completely different from the original Bayonetta series.

The combination of fun gameplay, beautiful graphics, and excellent sound makes this an underrated gem that deserves a spot on the best games for the Nintendo Switch list.

A package deal of magnitude

BioShock is a household name. The game turned the world upside down. Graphically, it was so impressive that some gamers thought the intro had frozen while the game was already underway. The BioShock collection includes a set of three BioShock games:

• BioShock 1
• BioShock 2
• BioShock Infinite

All three games come with DLC. With this collection, you can explore Rapture and Columbia. Rapture has a particularly unique charm and literally immerses you in the atmosphere of the 1950s. The BioShock games revolve around a dystopian society slowly but surely corrupted by its ideals. During your journey of discovery, you'll find audio fragments that help you piece together the story of how such an ideal world became the place you're now in. Besides various guns, you need plasmids to survive. That's precisely the nuance. In each of these games, you'll experience horror, plot twists, intense moments, and impressive puzzles. There's no single best game in this selection, and that speaks volumes.

This collection can rightfully be called the best single-player first-person shooter collection on the Switch and is a must-have for anyone with a Nintendo Switch.

When the Switch was first released, many companies still viewed the product with suspicion. Would this be the console/handheld that would pull Nintendo out of the doldrums? There were doubts after the failed Wii U. For a while, it seemed the Switch wouldn't necessarily be the home of new games. Golf Story was the first truly exclusive indie game. And it proved that an indie could have a place on the Nintendo Switch. The company received a lot of praise (and funding) for its efforts with Golf Story and single-handedly convinced a lot of indies to release their games on the Nintendo Switch as well.

Golf Story is reminiscent of Mario Golf Advance, and that's a compliment. This applies to both the pixelated graphics and the gameplay. In Golf Story, you don't just play golf; you progress through a life filled with surprises, anomalies, quests, love, and yes, sports—though that could just as easily be disc golf. Don't get us wrong, this game is primarily about golf, and that feels fantastic. Don't expect a simulation here, but more of an arcade-style approach to golf. You can switch clubs, decide where you want to hit the ball, and—of course—there's a power meter. And a meter that shows how accurate your swing actually is. Not too complicated, but enough elements to keep it interesting. Finally, there are nine-hole tournaments. This game is all about exploring, upgrading, golfing, and improving your life. Sounds great, and it is!

Oh yeah... excitement, chaos, and thrills: pure arcade gaming

There are several racing games in the world. Let's be clear, this is a pure arcade racer. The game originates from the real arcades you might remember from back in the day. It was released there in 2017. The Switch release has extra content and doesn't require you to put in any credits. If that's not what you're looking for, this game doesn't belong in your top 50 Switch games. If you like crazy and tight controls, Cruis'n Blast could be a gem. Nothing resembles reality, and that's Cruis'n Blast's strongest point. In this game, you drive absurd cars with absurd upgrades, on absurd tracks tackled under absurd conditions. Don't be surprised if a huge dinosaur tries to eat you or a section of the track suddenly breaks off. This is madness, chaos, and 100% pure fun. Far too few of these kinds of racers are made. The simple concept makes it accessible to virtually anyone, making it a party racer that's also suitable for younger players. Successfully completing races earns you more XP. XP allows you to purchase upgrades, new cars, and alternative colors. The 24 additional levels and six tours extend the game's lifespan compared to the arcade original.

All in all, a great package that's well-suited for a family to pick up alongside the renowned Mario Kart.